Winning Women

It's good to be a woman leader at Johnson & Johnson, according to The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA), which named the Women's Leadership Initiative at Johnson & Johnson the first winner of the HBA ACE Award. The association, marking its 30th anniversary, created the award to recognize the "Advancement, Commitment, and Engagement" of women's careers in the health-care industry.

A panel of industry leaders and academics chose Johnson & Johnson from among several health-care companies for the depth, breadth, and global reach of its Women's Leadership Initiative (WLI), a grassroots employee organization with 47 chapters worldwide and membership in all business segments of the company. Since the launch of the WLI in 1995, Johnson & Johnson has tracked significant increases in the numbers and percentages of women on the Executive Committee, among company presidents and managing directors outside the U.S., corporate officers, company group chairs, executive and director-level women, and those with both line and staff management positions.

"We are honored to be recognized for our long-standing commitment to the advancement of women at all levels of our company by the HBA," says Christine Poon, vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson's board of directors and WLI executive sponsor. "The development of global leaders is key to the future of our business, and the Women's Leadership Initiative has played an important role."

Adds JoAnn Heffernan Heisen, vice president and Chief Global Diversity Officer, "Johnson & Johnson is committed to maximizing the power of global diversity and inclusion to drive superior business results and sustainable competitive advantage."